Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine-History

Oral Biology, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, and Oral Medicine are the dental specialties that constitute the Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine. These specialties have developed over the decades in keeping with advances in modern dentistry and developments in academic and clinical dental practice.

The establishment of dentistry in University of Nigeria started in 1982, which was later upgraded to a School of Dentistry in 1988 and a faculty in 2002. The Departmen of Oral Pathology And Oral Medicine became the fifth department in the faculty of Dentistry.

THE MISSION OF THE DEPARTMENT

The mission of the Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine is to promote the understanding, diagnosis and management of oral and maxillofacial diseases.

Bachelor of Dental Surgery (B.D.S) degree and further postgraduate and fellowship training and qualifications have their basis in the solid foundation laid by training in oral biology, oral and maxillofacial pathology and oral medicine.

Objectives

To provide the basic dental knowledge of the development of non-diseased oral and dental tissues.

To equip the student with the pathological principles and understanding of dental diseases and conditions that may afflict the dental tissues and organs.

To provide training in the diagnosis and medical management of some oral diseases that may not require surgical intervention.

The Laboratory training in oral pathology and oral medicine is to expose the students to laboratory research methods necessary to facilitate diagnosis and management of oral diseases.

Scope of the Department

The programmes are focused to cover various aspects of Oral Biology, Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, Laboratory training and Forensic odontology, and Oral Medicine. The unit of Oral Biology would engage in research and teach basic dental courses of Oral Physiology and Oral Anatomy to undergraduate (pre-clinical) dental students. The Units of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology and Oral Medicine would engage in research work and teach the pathological basis of dental diseases and tumours, forensic dentistry, and clinical and therapeutic management of oral diseases to clinical students.